On 14 August, the animal was filmed at Praia dos Pescadores, in Cascais, before being spotted again at Paredão, in the Monte Estoril area.
Given the seal's constant visits to the Portuguese coast, the Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests issued a warning, asking that the animal not be disturbed.
"We recommend that the animal not be disturbed and that people avoid approaching it to take photos or interact with it. It is a wild animal capable of reacting aggressively when it feels threatened", reads the post on Instagram.
On August 20, the Lisbon and Tagus Valley Stranding Network (RALVT) had already made an appeal for the "public not to approach the animal and not to try to interact with it, giving it the opportunity to rest".
"The animal was floating in the water, apparently in a resting position. No external injuries were visible, nor were there any nets or other debris holding the animal, and it did not appear emaciated (thin). After monitoring for approximately three hours, the animal ended up submerging and moving out to open sea, and a boat inspection was carried out to see if the animal was sighted again", reads the caption of the videos released by RALVT, which also asks that, "in case of sighting", the institution be contacted and the coordinates of the location and photographs/videos of the animal be sent.
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